Flanging-clamp.



J. H. OPTENBERG.

PLANGING. CLAMP.

APPLIUATION FILED 11211.10, 1911.

1,003,497. Patented sept. 19,1911.

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COLUMBx FLANOGRAPM co., wASmNa'raN. D, c.

J. H. OPTENBBRG.

FLANGING CLAMP.

Wup

APPLIOATION FILED AIBHlO, 1911.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO-.w^SHlN`uTON. u. c.

JOHN HENRY OPTENBERG, OF SI-IEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN.

FLANGINGr-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 10, 1911.

Patented Sept. 19, 1911.

Serial No. 620,245.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOI-1N HENRY OFTEN- Bnne, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Sheboygan, in the county of- Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flanging-Clamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to clamps for use in forming flanges on boiler-plate, sheet iron and the like, of the general type such as disclosed in a patent granted to me J une 2nd, 1903, No. 729,959, the object of my present invention being to provide simple, economical and efficient means for applying motive power to Hanging clamps of the character described whereby a maximum force is transmitted to the movable jaw-member with a minimum expenditure of power units.

The construction and arrangement of the parts is such that an elastic Huid is utilized as the motive force, being applied through a valve-controlled horizontally disposed cyl-- inder to sets of coupled vertically movable toggle links, which links are connected to the ends of the movable jaw member of the clamp. By this arrangement of toggles the jaw members can be positively opened or closed in a Hanging operation irrespective of their size or weight and the Heating toggle connection permits even distribution of the power throughout the engaging faces of the jaws when in use. This even distribution is especially desirable wherein a short section of metal is to be Hanged as in such instances where a short section is interposed between the jaw members at one end thereof the uneven strain at this end of the machine is compensated for and thus liability of the movable member to cramp is avoided by the automatic compensating movement of the links which will distribute the strain equally at both ends of said movable jaw member. Provision is also made for liXed adjustment of the movable jaw member relative to the clamping face of the fixed aw member whereby the face of the latter may be built up for special Hanging work and the movable jaw member will thus be adjusted to seat upon the built-up face.

With the above objects in view my invention consists in what is herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the drawings Figure l represents a side elevation of a Hanging clamp embodying the features of my invention, with parts broken away and parts in section as indicated by line 1 1 of Fig. 3, it being understood that the jaw members of said clamp may be of any desired length; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view of the same, the section being indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3, a plan sectional view of the Hanging clamp, the section being indicated by line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings 1, 1, represent end standards provided with bowed legs 2, 2', and forked upper ends 3 and y3', the forked ends and legs being connected by transversely disposed webs 4C and 5 as best shown in Fig. 1, the web a constituting the base of the forked ends. The standards 1 and 1 are provided with inwardly extending pairs of ears to which are bolted channel iron brace bars 2, whereby a rigid supporting frame is formed. A HXed jaw member 6 is secured to the standards by lugs 7 which are fitted between the forked ends thereof, the lugs resting upon the webs 4 and are secured within the forked ends by suitable retaining bolts. A movable j aw-member 8 is located above the fixed jaw member, being provided with heads 9 having vertically disposed extensions and horizontally disposed tongues 10, which tongues are adapted to slide between the forked ends 3, 3 of the standards.

The heads are provided with a series of apertures through two of which are fitted retaining bolts 11 for straps 12, the upper ends of the straps being also provided with a series of retaining bolt apertures whereby adjustment between the straps and head portions of the movable jaw is had. Each pair of these straps 12 overlap the lugs 7 of the HXed jaw member and their depending ends are connected by retaining bolts l2 to tie-bars 13, the tie-bars, straps and movable jaw member constituting a rigid rectangular frame. End play of said frame is resisted by pairs of anti-friction rollers 14 which engage the outer edges of the straps, the said rollers being journaled upon studs 15 with which the legs of the standard are provided. The fixed jaw member at either end is provided with depending lugs 16, to each of which is fulcrumed a pair of links 17, 17', respectively, the opposite ends of each pair of these links being connected by a pintle-bolt 18. These pintle-bolts are in turn connected by a reach which comprises parallel channel beams 19 that ter-- minate at a slight distance from the links 17, their terminals being rigidly connected to a skeleton head 20 which is provided with a threaded apert-ure for the reception of a spindle 21 having right and left hand threaded ends, one end being in threaded connection with the head and the opposite end in threaded connection with one end of a strap 22. The spindle is provided with a centrally located polygonal-faced nut, said spindle constituting an adjustable turnbuckle which is locked to the head 20 and strap 22 by j am-nuts 23. The outer end of the strap 22 is mounted upon the pintlebolt 18 of the links 17', whereby a swinging connection is formed between the sets of links, the said swinging connection or reach being adjustable as to length through the interposed turn-buckle. A second pair of links 24, 24 are mounted upon each of the pintle-bolts 18, their opposite ends being hinged to the lower ends of thestraps 12 by the retainingbolts 12, which, as previously stated, also serve as connections for said straps and struts 13.

The legs 2 of the standard 1 are each provided with an apertured ear 25 having axially alined trunnion bolts 26 upon which are mounted ears 27 of a horizontally disposed cylinder 28. Reciprocatively mounted in the cylinder is a piston 29 having a pistonrod 30 which extends through a suitable stuffing-box 31 in the cylinder head constituting a guide therefor, the end of the piston-rod being secured to a strap 32, the end of which strap engages the pintle-bolt 18.

By utilizing a trunnion or hinge connection between the cylinder and the frame it is apparent that said cylinder is free to oscillate incidental to power being applied to its piston, and owing to the fact that the piston-rod is guided both by the stuffing-box and piston, when said piston is reciprocating it will always move in a line parallel with the power applied, being oscillated with the piston to compensate for the changed position assumed by the pintle bolt 18 of the toggles. Thus there is no tendency of the piston-rod to cramp and its power is always applied in a direct line.

The opposite ends of the cylinder are prol vided with fluid ports 33, 33, which are in pipe connection with a three-way hand-controlled valve 34, a branch of which valve is connected by a flexible pipe 35 to a suitable source of elastic fluid, preferably compressed air.

piston-rod and strap 32 direct upon the art-iculated joint of the toggle links 17 and 24.

In order to insure an even grip throughout the entire length of the jaw members the upper jaw member, as indicated by the dotted line in Fig. 1, is provided with a grippinof face-slightly beveled from points intermediate of the center and the ends to the ends whereby a slight space is formed between the gripping surfaces at their ends when the jaw members are closed. Thus when saidj aw members are closed by power upon a sheet of metal there is a slight spring in said metal in the upper jaw whereby its face will insure a grip of the metal sheet throughout its lengt-h. In practice it has been found that if the gripping face of the upper jaw is planed parallel with the lower jaw face an uneven grip is obtained.

As shown in Fig. 2, the gripping face of the lower jaw member in cross-section is provided with one curved edge y and an oppositely disposed sharp counter-edge. Thus sheet-metal may be bent with a curved corner when said metal is inserted upon the curved side of the lower jaw member, or the metal sheet may be bent with a sharp corner when inserted upon the corresponding sharp cornered side of said jaw member.

As shown in Fig. 1, the jaws are closed upon a strip of metal A which strip has just passed through a Hanging operation. In closing the jaws the operator shifts valve 34 whereby air is admitted to the forward end of the cylinder through port 33, which air acting upon the piston draws the toggle mechanism to the left, tending to straighten out the links thereof and this action causes the movable jaw-member 8 to be drawn down to engage the strip of metal A, the air pressure within the cylinder exerting a gripping .strain whereby said metal strip is securely held. After the Hanging operation has been completed the operator shifts valve 34, whereby air pressure from the source of supply is admitted to port 33 and simultaneously the air which has been previously admitted to the forward end of the cylinder is exhausted through port 33 to atmosphere through a discharge nozzle 34 of said valve. Thus the air pressure at the back of the cylinder will cause the piston to move forward and, owing to its connection with the articulated joint between the links 17 and 24, the said link mechanism will fold outwardly and, owing to the fact that the movable jaw-member 8, together with its strap connection 12 are held against lateral movement, folding of the links will cause said movable jaw-member to lift, whereby a space between the latter and upper jawmember will result preparatory to the reception of a piece of metal therebetween for the next flanging operation.

Should it be desired to adjust the throw of the .movable jaw, this may be accomplished by lengthening or shortening the reach, which lengthening or shortening is effected by adjusting the turn buckle connection carried by said reach. For special work where a wide space between the jaws is desired when the latter are closed the movable jaw may be raised or lowered and secured in its adjusted position by the retaining bolts 11 which are then fitted in other alining apertures between the straps 12 and heads 9 of the movable jaw member. Thus said member will be raised and lowered in a position relatively higher from the lower jaw than that shown in Fig. l.

I claim:

l. A fianging clamp having standards, a fixed jaw-member secured to the standards, a movable jaw-member in slidable engagement with the standards, Apairs of jointed links connected to the movable jaw-member constituting toggles, and a reach connecting the articulated joints of the toggles; in combination therewith a valve-controlled fluid cylinder in oscillatory union with one of the standards, a piston and piston-rod i rcciprocatively mounted within the cylinder,

a guide forv the piston-rod carried by the cylinder, one end of the piston-rod being in hinge connection with the articulated joint of the adjacent toggle.

2. A fianging clamp having standards provided with forked upper ends, a fixed jaw-member secured to the forked standard ends, and a movable jaw-member reciprocatively mounted between said forked standard ends above the fixed jaw member; in combination therewith pairs of jointed links constituting toggles, one of each pair being fulcrumed to the ends of the fixed jawmember and depending therefrom, an adjustable reach connecting the articulated joints of each pair of links, adjustable straps connecting the outer ends of one of the links of each pair and movable jaw-member, a valve-controlled fluid cylinder in hinge connection with one ofthe standards, a piston and piston-rod reciprocatively mounted within the cylinder', a guide for the pistonrod carried by the cylinder, one end of the piston-rod being in hinge connection with the articulated joint of the adjacent toggle.

3. A flanging clamp having standards provided with forked upper ends, brace-bars connecting the lower ends of the standards,

a fixed jaw-member secured to the forked standard ends, a movable jaw-member reciprocatively mounted between said forked standard ends above the fixed j aw-member;

in combination therewith vertically disposedl with said straps, the jointed links constituting toggles, a reach connecting the articulated joints between the pairs of links, means for adjusting the length of the reach, a valve-controlled fluid cylinder in hinge connection with one of the standards, a piston reciprocatively mounted in the cylinder, a piston-rod carried by the piston having one end connected to the articulated joint of the adjacent set of links, and a guide for the piston-rod carried by the cylinder whereby said piston-rod is oscillated with the cylinder incidental to the application of power to the piston.

4. A Hanging clamp having standards, a fixed jaw-member secured to the standards, a movable jaw-member in slidable engagement with the standards, pairs of jointed links connected to the movable jaw-member constituting toggles, and a reach connecting the articulated joints of the toggles; in combination therewith a valve-controlled fluid cylinder, ears projecting from one of the standards, pintles connecting the standard ears and cylinder ears whereby an oscillatory connection between the cylinder standard is formed, a reciprocative piston mounted in the cylinder, a rigid piston-rod carried by the piston, the piston-rod being connected to the articulated joint of the adjacent pair of links, and a guide for said pistonrod in connection with the cylinder whereby said rod and cylinder are capable of oscillation incidental to power being applied to the piston.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Sheboygan in the county of Sheboygan and State of l/Visconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN HENRY OPTENBERG.

Witnesses W. C. RoENrrz,

JOSEPH DAMRATowsKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of IPatents,

Washington, D. C. 

